BiasAlerts

1. CBS Scolds McCain's Tactics, Sees Hypocrisy in Palin's Wardrobe Consistency on the CBS Evening News: Wednesday night Dean Reynolds concluded his piece on Barack Obama's campaign day by asserting "McCain's campaign tactics...have drawn criticism even from some Republicans" and next Chip Reid ended his story on John McCain's day on the trail by highlighting how "Gordon Smith of Oregon," otherwise unidentified, "today became the fourth Republican to urge John McCain to stop those robo-calls to people's homes linking Barack Obama with William Ayers" -- all before a full report on how Sarah "Palin's carefully cultivated Joe Six Pack image... continue reading

1. Lauer to Obama: How Will You 'Manage Expectations' of 'Messiah?' Reciting all the messianic nicknames given to Barack Obama, such as "The One," "The Savior," and "The Messiah," NBC's Matt Lauer, on Monday's Today show, asked the Democratic presidential nominee how he will "manage" such great "expectations." During an interview, aired in two parts in the first hour of Today, Lauer rarely hit Obama with a tough question, instead choosing to focus on campaign highlights such as all the recent endorsements for Obama from Colin Powell to the Washington Post. Lauer read from the newspaper endorsements, to get Obama... continue reading

1. Nets Trumpet Powell's 'Major,' 'Powerful' 'Endorsement of Year' Journalists on TV Sunday heralded the importance and impact of Colin Powell's long-expected endorsement of Barack Obama which he made on Meet the Press. Later in that show, NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell touted Powell's endorsement and critique of the McCain campaign as "a very powerful political statement." On the same panel with Mitchell, Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham declared that "having Colin Powell endorse the Democratic nominee for President is like having the seal of approval from the most important military figure of the age." MSNBC was so excited by the news... continue reading

1. NBC Airs Hit Piece on Todd Palin, Sarah Palin's 'Abuse of Power' Network polls put McCain-Palin ten-plus points behind Obama-Biden and Brian Williams introduced Thursday's NBC Nightly News by asserting "some senior Republicans are getting edgy at the prospect of a long up hill climb in a short amount of time," but Williams and other journalists may not be so confident of an Obama victory -- how else to explain NBC's decision to air hit piece Thursday evening about Sarah Palin's husband Todd? With "Palin abused her power" on screen with a picture of Todd and Sarah Palin, from... continue reading

1. McCain Too Sarcastic and Too Conservative, Obama in Center The take of television journalists and commentators after the third and final presidential debate on Wednesday night: Barack Obama conveyed an "appeal to the center" while a "sarcastic" John McCain showed "disdain and contempt" and was hurt by being too much of a right-wing "ideologue" whose "worst moment" came when he raised the name of William Ayers. Also noteworthy: On NBC, Ann Curry pressed six undecided voters to "raise your hand if you know of people, and be honest here, who may not vote for Barack Obama because of his... continue reading

1. ABC Second Network to Highlight 106-Year-Old Nun for Obama For the second time in three days, a major network program has showcased the story of a 106-year-old nun in Rome who is voting for Senator Barack Obama. On Wednesday's Good Morning America reporter Jim Sciutto highlighted Sister Cecilia Gaudette, an elderly woman who has caught "election fever" for the Democrat. The journalist featured Gaudette gushing: "I think he's the man, really. I think so." Although the nun's story of voting for President for the first time since 1952 was touted on the October 12 edition of the CBS Evening... continue reading

1. Moran: Palin's Rhetoric Make You 'Concerned for Obama's Safety?' In a gushing look at a day on the campaign trail with Democratic VP nominee Joe Biden for Monday's Nightline, ABC's Terry Moran charged Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin's rhetoric about Barack Obama has "stoked the anger at Republican rallies, where there have been reports of attendees yelling things like 'terrorist' and 'kill him,'" leading Moran to earnestly ask Biden if he now fears for Obama's "safety," and he pressed Biden to denigrate Palin: "Is she up to the job in your judgment?" Moran clearly suggested to Biden that Palin's... continue reading

1. CBS Showcases 106-Year-Old Catholic Nun Voting for Obama Sunday's CBS Evening News ended with a feature piece on a 106-year-old nun in Rome who plans to vote for Barack Obama, her first time to cast a presidential ballot since the New Hampshire native voted for Dwight Eisenhower in 1952, because Obama is "a good" and "honest" man. From Rome, reporter Allen Pizzey related how her "simple, old-fashioned standard for politicians," which apparently does not include the Catholic church's opposition to abortion, inspired her to decide to vote for the first time in 56 years. Sister Cecilia Gaudette explained: "As... continue reading

1. Gibson Cues Up Obama to Refute Ayers, Makes McCain Justify Topic For ABC's World News on Wednesday and Thursday, Charles Gibson conducted interviews with Barack Obama and John McCain aboard the ABC News bus, but on McCain's "line of attack" against Obama he shared Obama's annoyance ("Are you going to have to address that again?") while he pushed McCain to justify the criticism: "You're comfortable that this should be a focus in the last days of the campaign?" With Obama in Indianapolis on Wednesday, Gibson noted how "John McCain has unloaded on you in the last 72, 96 hours,... continue reading

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